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Terry Sanford girls basketball eyes deep run in NCHSAA playoffs – The Fayetteville Observer
Terry Sanford girls basketball finds itself in an unfamiliar situation.
After entering the NCHSAA playoffs with a perfect record in the last two seasons, Terry Sanford is a double-digit seed in the 3A East bracket this year. But the 11th-seeded Bulldogs (21-5) don’t mind being the underdogs as they chase the chance to be the top dogs in March.
“When people look at us and look at our record, they’re probably like, ‘Oh, we can beat them.’ I want people to feel like that, because when they play us, it’s gonna be a different story,” said senior Miya Giles-Jones, who had 14 points, five rebounds and four assists in Terry Sanford’s 64-33 first-round rout of No. 22 Eastern Alamance on Tuesday.
“I’m actually happy the pressure’s not on us. I think we’re gonna go pretty far. I know people aren’t expecting us to, but that’s what comes with being the underdog. I think we’re gonna shock some people.”
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Terry Sanford is set for a trip to Wilson on Thursday to face No. 6 Fike (22-5) in the second round.
The double-digit seed is a bit misleading as the Bulldogs finished fourth in the NCHSAA’s RPI rankings among 3A East teams.
Four of Terry Sanford’s five losses came against Fayetteville foes Cape Fear and E.E. Smith, a pair of conference champions. The Bulldogs lost by an average of four points in their three meetings with the Golden Bull-ettes, including a buzzer-beating defeat on Feb. 7.
If both teams continue to advance, Terry Sanford and top-seeded E.E. Smith (24-1) will play for the regional championship on March 4.
“We’re kind of the underdog,” Terry Sanford coach Roger Dale Paschall said. “We get to embrace that underdog role, going into every game knowing we gotta play our hearts out. We embrace the underdog role, because it doesn’t happen too much.”
Just last year, Enka (16-15) came out of the West as a No. 19 seed before losing to Northwood in the 3A title game. The Jets entered the 2022 playoffs with an 11-14 record.
Giles-Jones wasn’t aware of Enka’s run, but she’s confident the Bulldogs can put together a memorable postseason of their own.
“Anything can happen, especially in March,” she said. “A lot of crazy stuff can happen in March.”
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.
